20 People Share The Experience That Changed Their Life More Than Any Other

While we all learn from our own direct experiences in life, I truly believe that other human beings are some of the greatest educational tools available to us. And thanks in large part to the social media driven era in which we are currently entrenched, connecting with others has never been easier, and for most of us, is a regular part of our daily life.

Wanting to put that power to good use, I set out on a mission to learn as much as I could by challenging 20 people from 20 completely different walks of life to briefly share the experience that had changed their life more than any other thus far.

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With their permission, I am now going to share their stories with you, in hopes of not only giving you 20 new stories to know and connect with, but also inspiring you to persevere through whatever life throws your way.

In addition to their stories, I’ve also summarized my findings and key takeaways in the following video:

1. My life changed when I discovered, at 50 years of age, that I was the product of an affair, my siblings were half-siblings and I had been lied to my entire life. It changed further when my birth father and family embraced me but then completely crippled me financially. The experience taught me about boundaries and to not seek out pleasing others. – Male, 58

2. When I found out my girlfriend was sleeping with another man and I confronted her about it. She fired me from my position and stiffed me on nearly $35,000 worth of commissions and bonuses. At first I was crushed, heartbroken, and depressed, however, when one chapter ends, a new one begins. This situation catapulted me into a new position within two incredible organizations that are BEING the change I wish to see in this world… Thank you universe for your twisted sense of humor. – Male, 34

3. When I dropped out of my Master’s program. I suddenly was no longer crying every night, and felt a huge weight off my shoulders. Over the next year, I found myself, my dream job, and my true purpose, and I am eternally grateful for having the courage to quit. – Female, 23

4. My younger closest cousin passed and my dad was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease in the same year. It was during this time when I realized that life is short and that time with your loved ones is priceless. This prompted me to change careers and I have gone back to my first love of acting. Not only has this allowed me to meet some amazing people share many wonderful stories, but I have gained precious time with my family and have been able to care for my dad. – Female, 43

5. My life changed when I finally listened to my soul and inner child. To work on myself and let a lot of the emotional pain I was feeling from childhood bullying. From that point everything else fell into place and still to this day I am working on myself to improve and help shift the world. – Female, 33

6. As I stared at my toes while laying in a hospital bed with bullets in my chest, I came to the realization that we never truly get a chance to stop and reflect for a sustained period of time. I’m grateful for the moment of clarity that horrific incident gave me. – Male, 36

7. When I ended my relationship with my former partner I felt broken beyond repair, lost in the shadows of trauma, and unfulfilled expectations. In the last year, I’ve come to realize that everything had to break down, so that I could break through, and rebuild a solid foundation, and that darkness can be a great teacher, because it allows you the opportunity to shine even brighter in time. – Female, 32

8. As graduation from college approached I had no idea what to do next; my father took me to dinner and said that his travel agency needed tour directors and in a couple of weeks I could work in Puerto Vallarta if I wanted to. I had never even had a job and the prospect was a bit scary, but I took a shot at it and for the next 7 years I worked in Mexico, Hawaii, Brazil, Europe, and around the Caribbean. I also had a brief stint in Grad School but learning languages and adapting to the ways of other cultures changed my life in ways I cannot even imagine -and it was actually a PhD in life. It taught me that when a door opens with a unique opportunity, take full advantage. – Male, 68

9. When I decided to leave my job and start my own business. It was a scary thing to do and hasn’t been without its challenges, but it has done wonders in filling me with the patience, persistence, trust, and courage I always had within me but suppressed. And the impact this has had on all other aspects of my life is something I will be forever extremely grateful for. – Male, 28

10. I was 14 going on 15 when Saddam Hussein started throwing scud missiles on Tel Aviv, Israel. It was the first time I truly experienced fear for my life and the life of my family. It’s also why I don’t like gas masks. They remind me of that first night, waiting for the missiles to fall and for the chemical warfare to hit us. Luckily, the latter never happened. – Female, 41

11. When my parents divorced it really forced me to speak up. I had to voice my wants and needs and was so thankful to learn that sometimes how we imagine a conversation is far worse than the outcome. I learned I can adapt easily in life and that when I find myself in a place I’m not comfortable with, I have to be honest with myself and speak up. It’s always worth it. – Female, 26

12. When I read the book ‘There’s A Spiritual Solution to Every Problem’ by Wayne Dyer about 5 or 6 years ago. This book was the catalyst in embarking on a spiritual journey that has lead to meeting wonderful people all over, starting a conscious business, experiencing a few close encounters with death, and the unravelling of the illusions that blind us from the truths of life and this physical vessel we call a body. – Male, 29

13. When I took a mindfulness meditation course and began a daily practice of meditation. It took my self-awareness to a higher level and gave me the clarity and courage to make a very difficult decision that shifted my life in a positive way. – Female, 54

14. My guru asked me to join a motorcycle adventure over the highest road in the world in the Himalayas. Filled with fear as I had never ridden a motorcycle before and thought they were stupid and too dangerous, I simply willed my mouth to say “yes”. More love than fear, that is the key, it’s too much to ask to not be afraid. This lesson is etched in my soul for lifetimes. – Male, 41

15. When my body got sick with a chronic illness. It propelled me on a long healing journey that ended up healing so much more than just my body. I learned how to slow down, love myself, care for myself, be gentle and release expectations. I learned not to be so hard on myself, let go of my anxieties and truly value my peace of mind and heart above my productivity. I learned balance. I learned to value the quality of my life and state of being, and became wiser and more loving in everything that I do. – Female, 26

16. In 2009 I came across an amazing group of young people set on creating change by getting us to think outside the box. My life has been forever changed. They inspired me to be my best self. I want to change the world; they showed me that change starts within. I am truly grateful to them. – Female, 54

17. My experience is based on the death of a loved one who represented a father figure role in my life (uncle). When he passed, I became sad, confused, and depressed, but when I learned to appreciate the great memories I had with him, the life lessons he taught me and to remove the emotional fear of approaching daily life without his presence, that has manifested into a new beginning I am at peace to embrace. – Male, 33

18. What changed my life was realizing I could marry my purpose, passion and sacred gifts of coaching and guiding others to design their best life and make it my career. Without any business plan or entrepreneurial experience, I left my cushy 9-5 Fortune 500 job to leap into my own business (praying the net would appear). I am just about 3 years in, and I’m expanding and growing every day, both professionally and personally, doing what I love most while helping others to get what they want in their life. I still have to pinch myself sometimes getting paid to be myself. In my humble opinion, this is how it should be when we are in alignment with our highest self, doing what we love most. – Female, 42

19. The moment I decided to stop and finally look at my life. I was so busy doing “things” and caught up with so many distractions that the moment I decided to finally stop and look around I realized how I hated every aspect of it. I was ignoring and walking blind the entire time. At this point I could either fall into the pit of that overwhelming feeling that just dawned on me or to start taking small steps in each direction to fix each one. So I started taking the steps. – Male, 35

20. Our house burned to the ground on Christmas Day and we lost everything. But it gave our family the freedom to move to another state and live near the ocean, which was always a dream. – Female, 38

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An Indigenous Prophecy About The Reunion of the Condor and Eagle

In Brief

The Facts:

Indigenous cultures from around the globe all share a prophecy about the time we are living in now. It states that the people of Earth will unite in some sort of spiritual awakening with the common goal of peace on Earth.

Reflect On:

Think about how much human consciousness has changed within the past 10 years alone. We are starting to see through the lies and deception, we are starting to realize that it's really time to change things here on our planet. We are in the process.

Indigenous cultures today struggle to remember their teachings. It doesn’t help that the western world portrays them in a certain light, but the fact remains that indigenous cultures were extremely advanced. They understood how to live in harmony with the Earth, and their teachings were very profound, insightful and spiritual. You don’t need to look far to see how knowledgable they were, and their knowledge of our planet, the cosmos, science and mathematics still baffles experts today. How they were able to acquire certain knowledge and build various structures is still a mystery, as many of these things would be difficult to replicate even using modern technology. We see this with the pyramids built by various indigenous cultures throughout history, pieces of artwork, and several other anomalous artifacts that really don’t receive much media attention. These people were highly advanced, but unfortunately colonization and the arrival of the Europeans changed all of that. I still get upset when I hear people interpret these cultures as very ‘primitive,’ as if they just lived in forests. That interpretation is very far from the truth.

Scholars have estimated that, prior to the ‘discovery’ of the Americas by Europeans, the pre-contact era population could have been as high as 100 million people. American anthropologist and ethnohistorian Henry F. Dobyns, most known for his published research on American Indians and Hispanic peoples in Latin and North America, estimated that more than one hundred twelve million people inhabited the Americas prior to European arrival. (source)(source)(source)

When these cultures were wiped out, so were their teachings, knowledge and wisdom. It was replaced with religious indoctrination, and indigenous cultures throughout the world, especially in North America, have since struggled to regain and retain the knowledge and teachings that were lost.

But things are changing.

These cultures also had prophecies, and many of them speak of a time when all of this knowledge would be lost, but then would eventually return to Earth. Prophecies speak of indigenous cultures and bloodlines reuniting. We’re living in a special time right now because that ancient indigenous prophecy wasn’t just referring to the ‘spiritual awakening’ of their own people, but of the entire planet, and this is the process we’re going through today.

It gives me chills just thinking about it. The time has come where many desire a cleaner, greener, more cooperative human experience where everybody can thrive. Humanity has the potential to live in peace and meet the needs of everyone easily. We can live in harmony with nature and work with it, not against it.

Here at Collective Evolution, we refer to this time as the shift in consciousness, and we are currently living through it. The ‘darkness’ is being exposed, and this ‘darkness’ has primarily relied on the manipulation of human consciousness. Our thoughts, feelings and perceptions about what is happening on our planet have been completely altered by the same forces that once sought to wipe out indigenous knowledge and implant their own ideals. Just as the surviving indigenous after European arrival were brainwashed and indoctrinated, we too have been brainwashed and indoctrinated.

Today, we live in a society that manipulates our consciousness in order to justify wars, wars based on false premises. We are made to believe that, even with all our technological advancements and potential to provide abundance for all, that this is not ‘economically feasible.’ We’ve been made to believe that our medicines are helping us, and that we can ‘out-do’ nature and rise above it. So many of humanity’s actions are not in harmony with the planet and all life on it.

Thankfully, this mass spiritual awakening is here. Not only is humanity becoming aware of the fact that we can change the human experience to one that resonates with all, but we are also realizing that we’ve been manipulated, that we have the power to change, and that a world beyond our physical material world exists. Non-material science is becoming stronger, and awareness of the metaphysical world is becoming the norm.

Many activist movements are growing, and truth movements and campaigns have been gaining attention and popularity for years. We are no longer sitting idle, we are raising our voice, we are acting, and we are bringing about a shift in consciousness and a spiritual awakening that was prophesied long before we were even here. It’s a beautiful time to be alive, and the best way to bring about peace, love, unity and cooperation is to embody these qualities within ourselves.

Below is a video of indigenous leaders and elders sharing and explaining the current transitional time that we are living in.

There have been wounds of injustice, of oppression, of colonization, of greed, of superstition, all those things which injure the human heart. At the same time there’s been no way for this to be expressed, it’s been held inside. So this ancestral wound is this wound that’s been carried on from generation to generation to generation, this intergenerational trauma. But it was also prophesied and promised that after a period of 500 years that a great, great spiritual spring time would emerge with such power and such intensity that all that had been covered in the cold bitter snow would be revealed and cleansed and purified. And that we would emerge galvanized, reunited as not only the reunion of the Condor and Eagle, but a reunion of the entire human family. This time is now. (This quote was taken from the video below.)

The Takeaway

We are truly living in an apocalypse. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world, but rather a disclosure or revelation of knowledge. A lot of truths are being exposed today within several different subjects, be it food, politics, health, etc. We are being presented with knowledge that severely contrasts what we’ve been indoctrinated to believe. Having our collective belief systems questioned and challenged is not an easy process, and many are still fighting to hang on to old ways and belief systems. This is all part of the current spiritual transformation/shift in consciousness that the human race is experiencing as a collective. It’s all part of these ancient prophecies.

Lunar Eclipse In Sagittarius: Restless Perplexity

We are having a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius on June 5th peaking at 7:25pm Universal Time which will be on the 6th in the Eastern part of the world. It will be a penumbral eclipse which only has a slight shade on the Moon dimming it’s brightness. These ones are harder to notice and can be mistaken for a regular Full Moon. It will be visible (weather permitting) wherever it will be nighttime in part or all of its duration. This includes most of Europe, most of Asia, all of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Eastern parts of South America.

This is the first of three eclipses occurring back to back, with this one followed by a more powerful annular Solar Eclipse in Cancer on June 20th/21st and another penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn on July 4th/5th. This one is also the first of a series of Eclipses occurring in the Gemini-Sagittarius axis which we will be experiencing until late 2021. The following two eclipses will be the final ones in the Cancer/Capricorn polarity which began in summer 2018.

Eclipses reflect evolutionary changes in specific areas of our lives which can play out over the following 6 months and can begin up to 6 weeks prior. However, they are also part of a 1.5-2 year process in which the Lunar Nodes and most Eclipses are in the same signs. The changes that occur are connected to the sign they are in, the planets they are configured to, and how this all lines up with our individual astrological blueprint.

We have recently begun a process in which we are experiencing a collective recalibration in how Gemini and Sagittarius energies are expressed. This started in early May when the Lunar nodes entered these signs followed by Venus going retrograde in Gemini. However, this eclipse and others later in the year will crank it up more so and these themes will play out until early 2022.

This eclipse puts an emphasis on Sagittarius which is where the South Node is. This indicates changes and developments associated with this sign that can have a decreasing effect in how its energies are expressed, however, negative expressions of this sign can also come up more so to bring it to our attention. Sagittarius energies and aspects of life can be more constructive when they are expressed towards a Gemini focal point.

Sagittarius is associated with beliefs, philosophies, morals, righteousness, travel, exploration, and perspectives based on experience. It is associated with media, marketing, and education. Sagittarius energy can be excessive, blunt, egotistical, argumentative, fanatical, opinionated, preachy, unrealistic, disregarding of consequences, and have a ‘know-it-all’ complex.

Sagittarius and its ruler Jupiter are associated with expansion, idealism, and optimism. However, with the South Node in Sagittarius and Jupiter in the Saturnian sign of Capricorn, this is a time of being realistic, cautious, and practical. Jupiter is also moving towards a 2nd conjunction with Pluto (both retrograde) which can be transformative, destructive, and purging of the old.

This Full Moon Eclipse is opposite the Sun in Gemini which is where the North Node is. Over the next few years there is an emphasis on increase and growth around the themes/energies of this sign. Gemini is associated with facts, communication, articulation, learning, different viewpoints, neighbors, neighborhood, close friends, siblings, extended family, and our local environment.

As mentioned above, Sagittarius expressions will be more conducive within a balance of Gemini being the focal point. We are already seeing this play out. For example, education (Sagittarius) is being done from home on devices/apps (Gemini). International travel (Sagittarius) has been minimized, but shorter trips with our country/state/province will be okay (Gemini).

Lunar Eclipse Opposite Sun conjunct Venus Retrograde

This eclipse is happening in opposition to Venus retrograde. We are in a time of reorientation around Venus ruled areas such as relationships, love, social dynamics, values, pleasures, creativity, and finances. This energy is factored into the other mentioned themes of this eclipse which can play out until the Fall.

In the days leading up to this eclipse, Venus joined the Sun in its ‘inferior conjunction’. This can reflect a shift in dynamics and/or insights.. It can be a time in which certain circumstances can be pushing us to renew or let go of some aspects of how we express or engage in Venus areas of life.

Lunar Eclipse Square Mars and Neptune

This configuration is also in a square with Mars which could have begun to play out in the five days prior. This can reflect conflicts, restlessness, arguments, competitiveness, or some sort of passionate engagement with others. For some, this energy can also be creatively or romantically stimulating. However, the Sun has been approaching a square with Mars since after the last New Moon which has been a building up of intense energy.

Mars in Pisces moving towards a conjunction with Neptune can make it confusing and it can be hard to focus our action. Although this energy is good for applying ourselves spiritually, artistically, imaginatively, sacrificially, or compassionately, this can also reflect inconsideration of boundaries, impracticality, escapism, and asserting ourselves in a delusional or confused way. This is connected to the long term backdrop of this eclipse, but will be strongest from June 11th-14th.

Mercury in Pre-Retrograde Shadow, Sextile Uranus and Square Chiron

Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, entered its pre-retrograde shadow period on June 2nd and will be going retrograde on June 18th until July 12th. It is happening in Cancer, beginning days before a powerful Solar Eclipse in the same sign.

With Mercury being in the next sign from Venus retrograde, and ruling it as well, this can reflect the next stage of some of the themes that have come up. Keep in mind when making decisions over these coming weeks that some of the things playing out will lead to a change in dynamics or shift in perspective later in the month or in July. As Mercury increasingly slows down prior to June 18th we can also begin to experience some of the common Mercury retrograde complications.

At the time of this eclipse Mercury is in a tight square with Chiron and sextile to Uranus. Thoughts and communications can be insightful, innovative, and revolutionary. This can be good for creative solutions, realizations and bringing wholeness to a situation. Our wounds can be triggered more easily but this can ultimately push us towards healing. .

I will be covering the upcoming retrograde and eclipses in future content, join my mailing list here to ensure that you receive it.

Things To Consider

What has come up for you in the ten days leading up to this eclipse? What do you feel like you need to change or release? What are your relationships and social dynamics showing you? What aspects of your beliefs might be wrong? Is there something about the media or perspectives that you are consuming that you feel is not serving you? Are you clear about what you are fighting for or fighting against? Is there something that you may be confused about?

These are just some examples of what can be playing out for you but not limited to these either. Keep in mind that the themes of this specific eclipse will play out until the Fall and the Gemini-Sagittarius nodal themes will play out until early 2022. It is best to try to tune into this energy as it happens and pay attention to your feelings to help you in decisions you need to make in the future.

The two weeks following this eclipse can be a good time to initiate any sort of releasing process if you feel necessary. The eclipse begins at 5:46pm Universal Time on June 5th with it peaking at 7:25pm and finishing at 9:04pm. The Moon begins to wane after 7:13pm. You can click here to see when the peak will be in your time zone.

I’m doing a BIG DISCOUNT during the shutdown period with 40-50% off personal readings. Gain more astrological insight into what is going on in your life and have a better understanding of your individual potentials. Get a personalized astrology reading with Carmen (author of this article) specific to you based on your exact birth date, time, and location. Click here for the discounted rate.

How To Stay Present & Calm Throughout The Day

In Brief

The Facts:

A simple process to bring you back to presence and freedom throughout the day.

Reflect On:

Can we expect our world to change if we don't change our inner states of everyday being?w

Do you notice yourself feeling tense shoulders? A cleansed jaw? Perhaps you’re holding your breath in some ways and you don’t even know it? Maybe you feel a clenched tummy from time to time and have tricky digestion. You might notice yourself rushing through life, tasks, wanting to get to the next thing. You may not be paying full attention to your life and everything feels like autopilot.

If this is the case, you’re not alone.

This is a very calm state of being for most people in highly developed countries who are living the ‘average everyday life.’ You wake up, go to your job, work all day, come home and then either veg out or spend time with family and go to sleep. This is the ‘modern life’ that we have accepted as ‘ a good life’ and yet almost every aspect of it presents a challenge to our health and well being. But, at this time, money is required to live our lives, and so we must play within this system in some way or another as we actively change it.

The good news is, you have ultimate freedom within yourself to perceive your reality as you wish to perceive it. When we are unconscious, or allowing our programmed states of being to run our lives, we typically move through life on autopilot, moving from one habit to another. However, when we begin to gain presence, and pull ourselves out of all these unconscious habits, we begin to gain some freedom back. This builds over time.

Before we get to the exercise, I want to add that for those that pay a lot of attention to the news and media side of our work here at CE, using these practices to gain more presence and self-awareness in your life will play deeply into the CE Protocol which is designed to help us gain more clarity on what’s happening in the world, and be an active part of changing it. Skipping the personal transformation end of our journeys only holds us in our current state of being and understanding.

A Simple Process

One powerful thing you can do to begin seeing the subtleties in life, noticing the magic and incredible beauty around you and within you at all times is going back to the breath. Combine that with a few processes in releasing tension and getting into your heart, and you’ll truly begin waking up to who you truly are on a daily basis. The best part is, this muscle grows with time, the more you practice, the more present you become, and the more your monkey mind goes into the passenger seat instead of the driver seat.

Approx time needed: 5 mins

1. There are two ways to initiate the exercise, either you do it when you notice yourself tense or not present, or you set an alarm that goes off about 6 times per day. If you choose the first method, you want to know that your awareness already catches yourself about 6 times a day so you can make sure you are doing this enough.

2. When the alarm goes off, or when you notice yourself, stop what you are doing and take a couple of deep breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Do this slowly and controlled. Nothing too fast and nothing too out of control.

3. After about 2 to 5 breaths, allow yourself to breathe normally, making sure it is still through the nose. Begin to say within yourself. ‘I am releasing all tension in my head, my neck, my shoulders, my jaw, my stomach, my fists, and my legs.” This is like a mini mantra if you will, but don’t take it too seriously in that it has to be said any particular way. You’re simply noticing and instructing the body to relax.

4. After you have gone through the releasing, and you notice your body is more relaxed and your breathing has brought you back to the moment. Sense yourself in your chair or where you stand. Feel the air around you, notice any breezes on your skin or any scents that you smell. Notice all the various sounds around you, not focusing on anyone or feeling any as a distraction, but noticing them and allowing them to be. This is presence, while in this state. Noticing.

If you happen to have any rampant thoughts or feelings of stress arise during this at any point, simply notice it and say within yourself “OK stress or OK task I have to complete, I see you, I will take care of you momentarily” and allow it to pass.

5. Once in presence, turn your attention to the area of your sternum, the heart centre. You may put your hand or fingers on this area, and simply focus your attention on this space. See your awareness moving into this space as if you yourself are moving from your mind to your heart. However that looks or feels to you is OK. It doesn’t have to be anything mystical. This is a common mistake of overcomplicating simple methods.

6. Finally, allow yourself to be in that space for as long as you like. 1 min, 10 mins, whatever works. Usually I say this exercise is meant to be done as a check-in for about 5 mins.

Repeat this each time your alarm goes off or when you notice yourself tense. Through this, you are gaining more awareness of self more regularly. You are also beginning to realize you have a lot more control over your state of being than once thought. This is a key step to emotional freedom. In this space, your mind does not run you, nor do your emotions.

Bonus: As an extended tip, once you gain a sense of what that short meditation felt like. Even if you notice yourself for a moment 20 or 30 minutes later being tense, just take one deep breath and recall the energy and feeling of your meditation.

The Takeaway

When will things like full disclosure happen, or big changes in our world? When people focus deeply enough on personal transformation that our consciousness becomes ready to hear what’s being hidden and becomes ready for a world that is grounded in a state of peace, love, and freedom as opposed to monkey mind behavior.